'Walmart Cowboy' busks until he can get job to pay rent

Jonathan Chase Melzer sings as he plays his guitar on U.S. 13 in Onley, Va. He doesn't solicit money but accepts donations.(Photo: Jay Diem, The (Salisbury, Md.) Daily Times)ONLEY, Va. — On a raw afternoon earlier this week on a highway near a Wal-Mart, a tall, thin man was playing guitar, rain pelting him from behind.To passersby rolling down their car windows, his notes were upbeat, perhaps more than anyone in this weather should be. But Jonathan Melzer's rent was due, so he had a job to do."If a man doesn't work, you don't eat," he said, paraphrasing the Bible. "Really at this point, I can't just choose."So the 40-year-old chooses to be out in the elements more often than not, and some around here have dubbed him the Walmart Cowboy."I don't expect people to give me money," he said. "I'm happy if they just wave to say, 'Hi.' "But Melzer, who is living in a nearby motel, does need the money. That's why he's playing guitar.That's why the guitar has a sticker with large letters: "I need a job."He's a singer, maybe a bit of a hippie — and a recently convicted felon. He told a reporter the last part first."I have nothing to hide," Melzer said though he's not proud of the felon part. "I honestly believe that things don't happen to us; they happen for us."But many in this town of about 500 on Virginia's Eastern Shore find it unusual to see someone playing a guitar along U.S. 13, a road known more for four lanes of whizzing traffic than pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, and wonder what he's doing there — especially in the cold and rain.Melzer is on probation in Accomack County, where Onley is located, after being caught July 31, 2012, in neighboring Northampton County, Va., with a cocktail of illegal substances — from LSD and Ecstasy to bath salts and marijuana. He later was convicted of possession with intent to distribute.He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, served 20 months and was released early.After his release in the spring, he resolved to follow a different path than the one in which a friend had convinced him that he could make quick money dealing drugs.In the summer he worked on Chincoteague Island, which draws tourists to its pony roundup at the end of each July. Then he lived elsewhere for a while.His probation officer said Accomack County is where he needs to stay for now. But he's not eligible for government assistance such as food stamps and doesn't have a car, so he said he has to find a way to buy food and shelter.<!--iframe-->He always had an interest in playing the guitar."Not that I'm particularly good at it, but it's my passion," Melzer said. "I love to write, to sing, to act."He needs a job. So right now, this gig is it.And he's almost made enough money for rent. Melzer doesn't consider it asking for handouts.In Key West, Fla., where he was born, "busking," or street performance, is a common trade. And it's not easy finding a job on the Eastern Shore in winter, especially for a felon.He knew enough to go to the county sheriff's office to learn the laws of the land before he started: No signs, no loitering on private property, no bothering people and no lewd singing."Being on probation, I didn't want to do anything to mess that up," Melzer said.People like tunes they recognize. It makes them happy, he said. He also follows politics though his felony conviction has cost him his right to vote.But mostly he's interested in getting enough money to buy a car so he can get a job. And after 20 months and 10 days in prison, he's had enough of that life."I'm definitely not going to back to drugs," says Melzer, who would like a job in construction or any trade. Plus, he considers himself a great cook.Some will say Melzer didn't get enough of what he deserved for dealing drugs. It was reported that he was thousands of dollars behind on child support for four children with his ex-wife.But he said his need to pay child support drove his decision to sell drugs in the first place. Now he's out of prison, has to start from scratch and finds that people enjoy his music."If it is bringing joy to people, then that's wonderful," Melzer said. "It really humbles me. ... It's overwhelming in a good way."Last SlideNext SlideWithout a net, a look at death defying stuntsJan 15, 2015